Night Afore: Dram of Science
Thursday, 10 September, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Location
Montrose PlayhouseThe Mall
Montrose, Angus, Angus DD10 8NN
United Kingdom
Google map and directions
Join us on the Night Afore LandxSea for a Dram of Science, a relaxed evening of science, stories and tastings in the Montrose Playhouse Bar.
Bringing together researchers from the James Hutton Institute, Dram of Science explores the science behind what we grow, brew and distil — from climate and barley to agriculture, brewing and Scotland’s world-famous drinks.
Expect a friendly, sociable evening with short talks, big ideas and plenty of time to chat. Our speakers will dig into how farming shapes the land, how barley varieties are developed, and what a changing climate means for the future of crops, food systems, brewing and distilling.
🥃 Science, tastings and conversation in the Montrose Playhouse Bar.
When: Thursday 10 September
Arrive: 6:30pm.
Talks begin: 7:00pm.
Format: Three short 15-minute talks, with time to chat and ask questions between speakers.
Tastings: Tastings are optional and available to over-18s only.
Speakers
Ella Southin
James Hutton Institute
Talk: Creating Hybrids: Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger
Ella will share how barley varieties can be combined to get the most out of them genetically, and how this approach has shaped crop improvement even before formal scientific research gave these processes a name.
Shanzay Qamar
James Hutton Institute
Talk: Expanding the Range of Barley Gene Editing Tools
Shanzay’s project focuses on improving barley for the whisky industry using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system. Her research aims to optimise editing techniques for genes linked to malting quality, disease resistance and climate resilience, with the goal of developing The BARedit Toolbox: a set of tools to support more resilient, sustainable and high-quality barley for industry.
James Grieves
James Hutton Institute
Talk: Tilled With Good Intentions
James will explore how intensive farming helped solve immediate food needs, while creating long-term environmental pressures — and how agricultural science is now working backwards to help repair and rethink the system in the face of climate change.